Butt hookin with a switch

[GungasUncle]

Hit the Wilson yesterday intent on swinging up a fish. Water was perfect. Not gin clear, not too murky. Current was good. I think half of the Metro area took a day off and was fishing yesterday, but I still had plenty of runs to myself.

Been a while since I fished with my two hander, wasn't doing too bad most of the time. Had a few things "click" in the back of the head and my casting was improving (mostly) as the day went on. But couple things kept perplexing me. First, how I was able, standing 10-20 feet off the bank in the water, and using snap T casts almost exclusively, I was able to hook the (*@#&@(#%RY& brush behind me. Not just hook it, but wrap my leader, sink tip, and a good part of the fly line behind me. Second, and I'm sure related to my bush-hooking ability, was how, also on a snap T cast, I was able to hook myself in the arse, on two different occasions. The second occasion had the fly moving so fast that it snapped 14lb leader. Lucky for me I was wearing 3 layers, and only got kissed by a hook point in my tender region - but my waders wound up worse for wear because the hooks hadn't been debarbed. Looks like I won't be wading deeper than my thighs until the water and air warm considerably!

I can understand hooking the bush if I was right up against it, swinging the rod tip into it. But when I'm out in the water, using spey casting techniques, and hooking the bush I gotta say I was getting a bit puzzled. Line is supposed to follow the rod tip, and when the rod tip is moving outward to the center of the river, yet the line & leader jump off the water and coil around a pathetic little three-branched willow like a python around a pig, I gotta scratch my head. I didn't think I was over-powering my casts, I'm thinking it was a timing thing, or maybe I was swinging the rod tip too far back before beginning the forward stroke?

Anyone else butt hook themselves learning the spey casting thing? I'm thinking about investing in kevlar waders if this keeps up.

 

[Irishrover]

I do it once in a while. I have taken the hat right off my head before. My most dangerous cast is a left hand snap t. I'm right handed but I really like the snap t so I learned to do it left handed. That way I can use it on either side of a river. When I do it left handed sometimes I bring the rod to close to me, and when I do my forward stroke I set myself up for a fly stick right in the back. I have learned to keep that rod tip out to the side (most of the time). And yes if you bring the rod tip to far back you certainly can hook a bush or tree. It sure is a fun way to fish though.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I took casting lessons from Rob Crandall and it changed my life... What he taught me was the three parts to a spey cast: the D loop, the line stick and the 180 degree rule. If your casting is going wrong it is going to be 1-2 or all three of those things causing the problem. the different casts, snap T, Snap C etc., really aren't casts at all just different ways to set your line up to do the spey cast. If your hooking yourself it sounds like your 180 is off and needs to be adjusted. You may be throwing your D too far back to be hooking the bushes. Just opinions of someone who is definitely NOT an expert but I have been studying mine and my buddies casting pretty hard.

 

[TimberTodd]

The thread title made me laugh and brought to mind several times when I was a kid and tried to escape the business end of a switch. I have an aunt who could wrap that baby around a corner and leave a welt on my behind.

 

[Raincatcher]

:lol: I do believe I will pass on that technique...I have the same trouble with spinning rods. Autofisher has been known to take off running...:lol:

 

[n8r1]

When I took a spey casting lesson, one of the first things that the guide told me is to always de-barb your hooks before spey casting, no matter what cast you're using.

This guy had been doing it for 20 years, and teaching it for 15, and he still de-barbs his hooks in every situation. There's just too much of a chance of hooking yourself no matter how smooth you are with your casts.

I'm too new at it to give you advice on what you're doing wrong though, sorry.

 

[_RJ_]

I'd watch my anchor point, and line/casting speed. Also maybe, watch how your body is positioned in regards to your anchor and where you're casting to. But more than likely it's either you're position of the anchor, casting speed or a combination.

 

[GungasUncle]

After more research, watching more casting vids, I'm pretty sure I was both setting the anchor too close and bringing the rod tip too far back, and too close to me while making the D loop. Seems to be the consensus that on the snap T, the anchor should be 1-1.5 rod lengths away from you, and on some of my casts I recall the line angling in closer to me. I'm also pretty when swinging the rod around to begin forming the D loop, instead of pointing the rod both away from me and opposite my target, I was bringing the rod too close in and too high, and then in my quest for a bit of distance, I was under-utilizing my bottom hand, and over powering the top hand and instead of letting the rod work it, I was trying to force the cast. This didn't help anything, but did give the line a LOT of speed - enough to snag my butt and snap off my leader while sending the fly line 30' out and land in a pile.

So when I get a chance to get back out, I gotta work on taking things slow & smooth, watching my rod tip and watching my anchor placement. At least if I can get that all worked out, I'll get better at my snap T's. Of course, if I get that cast figured out, I'll probably screw something else up and wind up with pierced ears or a nose piercing or something. I might fit in in downtown portland though, walking around with half a neon colored turkey hanging from my nose. Might tickle though.

 

[ChezJfrey]

First, how I was able, standing 10-20 feet off the bank in the water, and using snap T casts almost exclusively, I was able to hook the (*@#&@(#%RY& brush behind me. Not just hook it, but wrap my leader, sink tip, and a good part of the fly line behind me.

I am relatively clueless about casting problem resolution, but I understand this particular problem is caused by the D loop still moving backward when you initiate the forward action; the momentum of the moving loop backward, combined with the forward cast, causes the line that is still on the water to break away and rip backward, which loses the power the anchor provides the cast and launch the terminal into those bushes/trees behind you that the technique is supposed to help avoid.

 

[JonT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1Oe66RUZfs